Claudio Ranieri reckons Rafa Benitez's tactical genius and Liverpool's desire to end a 17-year barren spell will take the Premier League to Anfield this season.

The Spaniard was heavily criticised last weekend when his formation and substitutions contributed to the Reds' first league defeat of the season at Reading.

And they go into Sunday's Anfield clash with Manchester United seven points off leaders Arsenal - and still looking for a victory over another bigfour club this season.

But Juventus coach Ranieri, who still closely follows the English game, reckons his former club Chelsea are now obsessed with winning the Champions League ahead of success on the home front.

And although he is full of praise for Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, he reckons his fellow Tinkerman can make the difference and repeat his Champions League success on the domestic stage.

"Liverpool need to win the title - it has been 17 years," said Ranieri, who faced Benitez with Valencia in La Liga and then succeeded him back at the Mestalla Stadium in 2004. "And sooner or later Rafa Benitez will win it. Maybe even this season. Rafa is very determined.

"Arsenal and Manchester United both have fantastic teams which have been maintained at the top level.

"Chelsea won the title twice. Now their mind is more on the Champions League because Roman Abramovich wants to win that.

"But Liverpool need it. Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel are good players and have made the difference.

"It is always difficult to play against Rafa Benitez. He works very, very hard tactically to find space to play. It is very difficult to play against him. The team is very tight in every way. He is a very good coach."

Ranieri admitted his surprise at the sacking of another coach, Jose Mourinho, at the start of the season.

But with the Portuguese linked with a move to Milan or Inter Milan next season, the Italian reckons his successor at Stamford Bridge will also be a big success in Serie A. "I think the Mourinho mentality is very close to the Italian mentality because he builds the team well and closes the space very well," he said.

"He is very clever. If he were to come to Italy, he would work very well and be a success."

Speaking at the Juventus Centre on the outskirts of Turin this week, a relaxed and smiling Ranieri is already planning to build up a squad devastated by relegation to Serie B last season over the match-fixing scandal.

He denied knowledge of a precontract deal with Aston Villa's Olof Mellberg - "I know nothing at the moment" - and said he had no current plans to move for his former player Frank Lampard in the summer.

"I have read everywhere that Lampard is linked with Ranieri but it is not true," the 56-year-old insisted.

"Of course I would like him and Kaka and Messi and Ronaldinho.

Which manager doesn't want the big champions?

"It is just the money. To buy big champions you need a lot of money. That is the big problem in Italy not just Juventus.

"At the moment I will not be making a move for Lampard."

But £8million former Newcastle flop Jean-Alain Boumsong is available for sale. He lost his Juventus starting place after joining last year.